Diversity

Institutional Change Progress Report and Change Committee Response to Diversity: Provide adequate support and funding to university-wide efforts to track and advance diversity and sustainability (Cabinet Recommendation 1.4.1)

Cabinet Charge: Recommendation 1.4.1 in the "Vision" section of the Cabinet report states that funding and support should be provided to track and advance diversity on campus by revising the diversity plan and beginning implementation. Specifically, the following is recommended (1.4.1.a.):

Campus-Wide Diversity Plan and Office Devoted to Implementation. The recent "Dissecting Diversity" report produced by this office is an example of a best practice that can and ought to be replicated by other university efforts: an example of sound institutional research, it provides an unvarnished assessment of our strengths and weaknesses. As a result, it provides clear targets for strategic initiatives and benchmarks for measuring their success or failure. This is necessary to advance vision point number 6, our commitment to "increasing our diversity of people and perspectives," while also providing a necessary foundation for the advancement of other points in the vision statement (e.g., "social… responsibility and action;" exemplary partners with… tribal nations;" "learning to make a positive difference").

In the "Student Success" section (3) of the Cabinet report, the following is recommended:

Inclusive academic excellence requires that Humboldt increase access, persistence and graduation rates for traditionally under-represented students. Academic and support services departments have been working with the "Making Excellence Inclusive" group to develop strategies to improve success for underrepresented students. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion has developed a set of university-wide metrics for measuring progress towards student success as well as progress towards hiring and retaining a diverse faculty and staff.

Progress to date: In the mid-semester progress report from October 11th, 2010, Provost Snyder reports that

The plan to expand the Office of Diversity and Inclusion is under discussion with the Senate Executive Committee and the Office of Diversity Inclusion, and
Academic Personnel Services, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion and the Graduation Rate Improvement Group are working on attracting and retaining URM faculty, staff, students and administrations as well as closing the achievement gap for URM students.
Colleges have been working with departments to finalize Making Excellence Inclusive (MEI) plans. Those departments that have finished MEI plans are in the process of completing their first annual progress reports.

A proposal outlining details of the ODI expansion is attached to the report.

Change Steering Committee Responses:

January 2011 Response:

The Change Steering Committee looks forward to a detailed report for "attracting and retaining URM faculty, staff and administrators; attracting and retaining URM students; and closing the achievement gap." The report indicates that "Academic Personnel Services (APS), ODI and the Graduation Rate Improvement Group are all working on these issues." Thus, we anticipate detailed strategies for improving diversity on campus.

Progress Report

October 2010 Response:

The committee notes with appreciation that the original Cabinet recommendations are being addressed and those specific details for further development of the ODI are provided. We look forward to a specific ODI expansion proposal in the next reporting period. The committee also anticipates the development of a specific and detailed plan of action for attracting and retaining under-represented minority faculty, staff, students and administrations, and addressing the issue of closing the achievement gap for under-represented minority students.

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